Combined doll and phonograph



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

JACQUES. GOMBINED DOLL AND PHONOGRAPH.

(NoModeL) Patented Ma (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2., W. W. JACQUES.

COMBINED DOLL AND'PHONOGRAPH.

No. 383,299. Patented May 22,1888.

51g '2. (Fig 3 y/IIIAFI A Inventor:

NITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

WI LIAM W. JACQUES, or NEwron,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ran COMBINED DLOLL AND PHONOGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 383.299, dated May 212race.

Application filed etiheri9,1S87. Serial No. 252,799. (N0'mo(lel.)

-.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLrAM W. JACQUES, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at New" ton, in the county of Middlesex and-State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement inPhonographs, of which the-followingis a specification.

My invention relates to eertaiirimprovements in the apparatus knownasthe phono- [O graph, substantially such as that described in thepatent to Tlios. A. Edison, dated February 19, 1878, whereby it can beconstructed in a manner so simple and inexpensive as to be adapted toalmost universal use in the re 1 5 production of articulate sounds, andespecially short sentences or phrases of every-day speech.

The particular object of my invention is to produce a talking doll orother image by placing therein a suitable phonograph which may bereadily actuated, either by power applied from without or by. automaticmechanism placed within the image.

Itis obviously necessary that a talking doll or image suitable for a toymustbe capable of repeating its phrases a great number of times and inwhatever position the image may happen to be held by the child or otherperson inducing it to talk, and aphonograph used within such an imagefor the purpose of.causo ing it to talk should possess the followingcharacteristics, to wit:

First. The record or registration of the vibrations which representthearticulate sounds to be reproduced must be sufficiently permanent tobe capable of withstanding the operation of effecting such reproduction'a great number of times without material injury to the plate upon whichthe record is made, which plate I will designate as the phonogranflSecond. The relative adjustment of the plate containing the recordythediaphragm with the style or tracer attached to its center, and thediaphragm holder oiaframe must be such as to maintain a comparativelylight/yet constant 5 pressure between the record and the point of thestyle, while the edge of the diaphragm is so controlled as to resistquick vibratory movements and yet will readily yield'to slow movements-such, for example as'might be caused 0 by changes of temperatureorinaecuracies in the construction of an apparatus intended for atoy-and the several parts of the apparatus must be capable ofmaintaining the abovenamed conditions without regard to the posi--- tionin which the toy may be held.

Third. In order to obviate unnecessary wear of the record and thedisagreeable noise which would. otherwise be produced in reversing the vmotionbf the record-plate with relation to the I tracer attached to thediaphragm, it is 'extremely desirable to provide means whereby the stylewill be automatically withdrawn from contact with the record-platewhenever it is moved in such reverse direction.

Fourth. To insure'g'reater clearness, and volume to the articulatesounds produced by the vibration of the diaphragm, it is essential toprovide a resonating-chamber ofsuch shape and dimensions thatitshalloperate in connection therewith to seleet and re-enforce thereproduced sounds due to the record, to the exclusion of accidentalnoises.

Fifth. That the soundsv reproduced by the phonograph may be moredistinctly heard, it is requisite to provide an aperture in the body ofthe image opposite to or coincident with the outlet of theresonating-chamber,through which the sounds may readily issue, and thisaperture '1 preferably make in the head, where it may be easily obscuredby a light covering 8 of hair, and thus cause no detriment to theappearance of a doll. V

'SiX th. It is desirable that the external de; vices employed forimparting motion to the phonograph shall be capable of being readily 8attached or detached in order toremove them from the control ofchildren, and also that the image be so constructed as to afford readyaccess to the phonograph within-for the purposes of repair or renewal ofthe record-plate o or phonogram.

IOC

trunk of a doll, showing the phonograph and its attachments therein..Fig. 2 is a view of the phonograph, looked at from the back of thedoll, as arranged in Fig. 1, andwith the diaphragm and its holder partlyin Section,

showing its position when the motion of the phonographcylinder isreversed. Fig. 3 is the same view, showing the position of the partswhen the cylinder is rotated in the direction to make the phonographtalk. Fig. 4 is a detail drawing of the device by which the diaphragm,with its style or tracer, is automatically withdrawn from therecord-plate when the motion of the cylinder is reversed. Fig. 5 is atop view of the phonograph. Fig. 6 is a side view of the phonograph fromthe same position that it is seen in Fig. 1. Figs. 7, S, and 9are'detail drawings of the devices and construction of the parts bywhich the record-plate is tightened and held upon the cylinder.

Similar letters and figures in the several views indicate thesame partsof the apparatus.

a is the head of the doll; a, an aperture in the top covered by awire-gauze, u, and hidden by thehair o.

c is a box, (preferably of tin,) within which "is fixed the frame Z 122.m m.

justing-screw 6 within the limits of its head and the shoulder upon itsshank, although against the pressureof the spring 7 and the spring 1011.

g is the diaphragm, held in a rubber ring between the platesfc andhaving a tracer or style, 71, attached at its center.

1 is an aperture through the plate e for the emission of the soundsproduced by the diaphragm.

10 11 is a spring of bent wire hung on a rod, 9, and having a piece ofrubber tube, 12, upon it, which rests lightly against the surface of thecylinder 2' when it is turned in the direction to make the phonographtalk. Its object is to raise the diaphragm-frame by contact with theprojection 5 when the rotation of the cylinder 1' is reversed, and thusdisengage the tracer h from the record upon the plate j.

jis a metallic foil wound around the cylinderz' and having its endspushed through the slot 18 therein and into the slot 17 in the end ofthe plug 13, where it is held tightly in place by turning the said plugB from the position shown in Fig. 8 to that shown in Fig. 9. This foilis the phonogram or record-plate, on which at first is registered thevibrations of a diaphragm, caused by talking to' it, and at the sametime revolving a cylinder upon which the foil is wound, and whichafterward, when placed upon the cylinder 2', causes the same sounds tobe reproduced by inducing similar vibrations in the diaphragm g.

S is a resonating tube or chamber connecting the aperture 1' with theopeninga through the tube I for the purpose of conducting the sound fromthe diaphragm out of the doll,and also for the purpose of selectingandre-enforc-- ing the sounds due to the rccord,to the exclusionofaccidental noise.

Resonatingchambers .of other forms and dimensions adapted to differentqualities of sound to be reproduced may ,be used and the tube t may bedispensed with'; but in order to operate satisfactorily the outlet oftheresonating-chamber should be opposite to or coincident with the aperturein the head of the image.

b is the upper portion of the phonograph chamber, (preferably of tin.)attached to the head of the doll at 1 and 2, and serving as a coverfitting onto the box or lower part, c, of said chamber.

The parts may be of any suitable materials; but for the sake of economy,as well as rigidity of material, I make the parts mz'f c of castiron,and the resonating-tubes I make of paper. The spring 7 should besufficiently strong to hold the diaphragm-frame in place even when thephonograph is inverted.

In order to secure a substantially permanent record, I substitute forthe tin, silver, or other foils heretofore used with the phonograph afoil which is'inelastic and has been made hard upon its surface only,(preferably by the buffing process,) so that a record once impressedupon it by the style of the diaphragm will not be distorted by reason ofelasticity, (in the sense that rubber is elastic,) and being madesuperficially hard is not easily worn away by the action of the styleupon it. Specifically I preferoroide foil composed ofthe following pro-7 portions: copper, eight-y per cent.; zinc, thirteen per cent.niekel,six per cent. iron and tin,

one per cent. A record upon such foil,prepared as above mentioned, willrepeat a phrase distinctly several thousand times in a phonograph, andwhen thus' prepared the foil be-- comes polished, which prevents unduevibrations caused by friction, and advantageously it may be oiled forthe same purpose. A record upon foil such as above named gives farbetter results than that. produced by electroplating or analogousmethods.

It is desirable, in order further to insure permanency, thatthe foilupon the cylinder should present a continuous surface without seam, andthat it should be held there under considerable tension. I effect thisby inserting the ends of the foilthrough the narrow slit 18 in thecylinder ,and into the slit 17 in the plug B, and after turning the plugto the position shown in Fig. 9 soldering the seam at- 18. If the foilis held inthe manner usual in the phonograph,it very soon begins to wearoutat the seams and causes the diaphragm to produce a thumping sound,which is very disagreeable.

For the purpose of securing the relative adjustment of the record,diaphragm with its tracer, and diapln'agm-holder, referred to in thesecond desidcratum hereinbe'fore specified, and at the same time renderthe phonograph operative in any position in which it maybe held, I makethe diaphragm-holder of considerable weightsay about four ouncesso thatits inertia may restrain the vibratory motions of the edge of thediaphragm, and Iretain the diaphragm-holder in its normal position bytwo counteracting springs,7 and 10 11,0f sufficient strength to maintainthe diaphragm and stylus with the supporting frame in operative relation to the record-cylinder even when the phonograph isinverted.springs are so proportioned that in whatever position the phonograph maybe placed the stylus maintains a comparatively light but constantpressure upon the record. This method of holding the diaphragm inaholder which offers resistance to rapid vibrations by reason of itsinertiainstead of its rigidity may be said to be analogous tothe methodot'holding the carbon electrode of a Blake transmitter or similarmicrophone as contradistinguished from the so-called rigid contactmicrophones.

. The operation of the shipping device shown at Fig. 4, which I employfor automatically disengaging the tracer h from the record on theplatej, is as follows,to wit: The bcntwire 1111 being wound spirallyabout the rod 9, and having its ends 10 10 restingnpon the portion m ofthe franic,constitutes a spring,which should be so adjusted as to causethe portion upon which the rubber tnbe"12 is placed to bear lightlyagainst the phonographcylinder at all times Thuswhen the'cylinder isturned in the direction indicated in Fig. 3 to make the phonograph talkthe portion 12 will order'to give greater volume and clearness to merelyrub lightly against the record-plate; but immediately that the rotationof the cylinder is reversed, as indicated in Fig. 2,the pieceofindia-rubber,12,will stick to the face of the cylinder and be carriedupward, and with it the diaphragm and its frame, until the resistanceofthe spring 7 becomes equal to the pressure exerted by the springll 11,when the rubber piece 12 will simply slip upon the surface of thecylinder. \Vhen the diaphragm and its frame are raised to the positionshown at Fig. 2, the tracerwill be withdrawn from contact with lJIIB-ICCOIGWJPOI] the piatej and no sound will be produced by the diaphragm.-The phonograph may beoperated by a keyor crank, 0,- or a small clockmechanism may be placed within the'box c and geared tothejournal k. l

It is of great benefit. and very essential in the sounds caused by thevibrations of the diaphragm dneto the record,to the exclusion ofac- Thetensions ofthese' cidental noises, when the phonograph is operated,touse a resonating-chamber constructed, according to thclaws ofaconstics,of such form and dimensions as will adapt it to select and menforcesounds ofthe same pitch as the voice which produced the record. Forexample, with a record; produced by a woman's soprano voice a tube fourand one-half inches long and three-quarters of an inch indiameter,arranged as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, produces excellentresults; or for the same-record, ifthe tube 15 is omitted, the bestresults are obtained by making the tube 8 like an inverted frustum ofacone about three and one-half inches long, three-quarters of an inch indiameter at the small or lower end, and one and a half inch in diameterat the large or upper end, and over this upper end should he fixed, at adis' tance of about half an inch, a cup shaped coversuch, for instance,as is formed by the inside of a dollshead, with an opening through itopposite to the'ontlet of this flaring tube. For records produced byvoices of lower pitch the dimensions of the resonating-tube should berelatively enlarged. I also find that by the use ofdifferent materialsconsiderable variety inthe quality of the sounds issuing from theresonating'chamber may be obtained.

It is obvious that the opening for the emission of the sounds from thephonograph may 1 be made in various other parts of the image instead ofthe top of the head; but this is a convenient location in dolls havingartificial hair.

The construction ofthe chamber for containing the phonograph shown inthe drawings will be found convenient as affording facility in reachingthe phonograph for repair or renewal of the record-plates, for, asheretofore shown, the head of the image may be removed and replaced aseasily as the cover of a box, and for the sake of greater security ascrew may be used to fasten the head and body together. An opening inthe body of the image injuxtaposition to the phonograph, which can beclosed by a suitable cover, will serve the purpose of gaining access tothe operating mechanism of the apparatus,although it might not affordthe same facility in adjusting the resonati ng-t u hes.

The construction of phonograph described in this specification wasdevised for use with a doll or other image; but, as will be readilyunderstood, the same apparatus maybe used in a box or case of any formdesired, and a record of a great variety of sounds may be impressed upondifferent record-platcsfor reproduction.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Leters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a phonograph and a doll provided with a bodycarrying said phonograph, and a head having an orifice therein for theemission of sounds from the phonograph, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a phonograph hav ing its stylus or tracersupportcdby the opposing tension of two or more springs, and adoll serving as areceptacleanda support for said phonograph, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a phonograph and a doll having a body providedwith a cavity for receiving and a support for holding the phonographtherein, and a resonator contained in a perforated head for conveying,and emitting sounds produced by the phonograph within the body,substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a cavity and a support or supports for aphonograph, of a phonograph having a diaphragm held in a frame at oneedge and controlled in its movements by aspring upon the upper and undersides 'of said frame, substantial-ly as described.

5. In a phonograph, the combination of a traveling record-surface with'apivoted diaphragm provided'with astylus and maintained between twocounteracting-springs under tension in operative relation with saidrecordsurface, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a phonograph, of an automatic shipping deviceactuated by the reversed motion of the recordsurface to withdraw ihediaphragm-tracer from the contact with a doll provided with thereconlisurface, substantially as described. V

7. The combination, in aphonograph, of a diaphragm held in a hingedframe. cushioned by a spring acting upon one side thereof,with a secondspring acting upon the other side of the frame, and having an extensionbearing upon the record-surface, so as to disengage the stylus from therecord-surface when the motion of the latter is reversed, substantiallyas described.

8. A record-plate for phonographs,'consisting of a foil of metal whichis superficially hard upon the side'which is to receive the record andis normally soft upon the other side, substantially as described, andfor the. purpose specified.

9. In combination with a phonograph, a. record-plate of oroide foil madesuperficially hard upon the side which is to receivethe rec- 0rd,whereby-while the record may be readily impressed thereon it becomespractically permanent, substantially as described.

WILLIAM \V. JACQUES. Wi tncsses:

ALBERT E. LYONS,

R. L. ROBERTS.

